The Book of Shadows
by Ultimate Hetalia Shipper
Summary: Chihiro isn't normal. She's visited the spirit world and returned to tell the tale... or not. No one believes her, even when she dies in a mysterious fire. After death, she is sent to the spirit world and her adventure begins. She must find the Book of Shadows before Koh finds it first. If Koh finds it, the world will end. Can Chihiro save the day in time? Read and review. Thanks.


AN: I've got to stop writing these fanfics! Anyway, this is my first Spirited Away fic, so enjoy! Let's get started.

**Chapter 1: Going Back**

Chihiro (or Sen) was sound asleep when the spirits began to congregate. Kohaku had been appointed the title of "Manager of Affairs". It was a very important job and it made him feel special. Haku called all the spirits, claiming there was an assembly in place. Spirits big and small came to hear the news that would surely be told in the assembly.

Ponyo, a ocean spirit was very excited. If her intuition was right (and it was _never _wrong), Sen was returning for good! That was great news and she planned to exploit this in the best way she could. Ponyo longed for a friend to call her own and Sen was her way of gaining that friend. Ponyo smirked as she imagined the mayhem she and Sen would cause.

No-Face, the shadow spirit with an appetite was Ponyo's best friend. Most people weren't fond of the male spirit's eating habits. Even if they were, they were often deterred by the fact that No-Face had an odd obsession with Sen. Ponyo was delighted with No-Face and they were best friends since.

Other spirits surrounded the 'Sen' duo, as they were called. These spirits included newcomers like Miyuki, the newest member of the bathhouse crew. She was a shy, but gentle snow spirit and everyone treated her daintily, as though she might shatter into pieces. Miyuki was being courted by Haku, seeing as the river spirit couldn't wait for Sen to return. In his own words, he had romantic urges that needed to be satisfied. Regular customers like the Radish Spirit also joined the group, much to Ponyo's delight.

"I wonder what this meeting is about." Miyuki spoke quietly, never raising her voice. "I think that Haku wants to brag about something again." No-Face replied in his soft voice. No-Face eventually learned how to speak English rather than the gibberish he was famous for. (Before, he could only speak English when he devoured someone.) Ponyo managed to teach him how to talk the right way, after long mornings spent on vocalization classes.

"I CAN'T WAIT! SEN IS COMING BACK!" Ponyo shrieked loudly, drawing the attention of several nearby spirits and Haku himself. "What are you talking about? Stop yelling so loud!" Calcifer, a fire demon snarled, scolding the excitable ocean spirit. Ponyo blinked once before sticking out her tongue at him and generally acting childish. "Lighten up, Cal! I mean, _Sen _is coming back. I'm just showing my excitement!" Ponyo smirked as Calcifer looked ready to scream. "Don't tease him." Miyuki hissed. "He's a demon for a reason, you know."

Haku raised an immaculate eyebrow at the commotion, but ignored it. "Welcome, spirits of all kinds! I greet you with pride! Today is a great day, full of celebration! For today is the day that Sen returns!" Haku announced, grinning at his fellow spirits. Everyone was excited at that instance as they imagined Sen's return. Why did they like Sen so much? The answer was something that you would least expect...

_Flashback_

_It had been a year since Sen had visited the spirit world. The spirits had finally adjusted to life without her there, except for a few people who just couldn't let go of her memory. Those people were the Old Witchy Twins, Haku and No-Face. No-Face had just been appointed the guarding the main entrance to the spirit realm when Ponyo arrived, wet to the bone and not breathing. No-Face panicked and accidentally used his powers to heal the ocean spirit, at a cost. No-Face's wager was Sen's soul. If his powers didn't work on Ponyo, Sen would go to the realm where humans went after death. If his powers did work, she would become a spirit. _

_After the healing worked, No-Face was horrified by what he had done. Notifying local authorities, No-Face began to prepare for Sen's eventual return. The spirits grew agitated. Now, they couldn't forget her. She was the biggest topic on the block and everyone was discussing what sort of spirit she would be. _

_Tension grew high as fights broke out between many different people. Emotions were off the charts as fights turned into battles that threatened people's lives! Eventually, Ponyo stopped the arguments, stating that only God knows what sort of spirit Sen would be. No-Face agreed with her and no one argued with No-Face. Arguing was suicidal when No-Face was concerned. Even though Sen had nearly started a war, the spirits still liked her and couldn't wait for her to come back and settle the disagreement that had sprouted from the silly conflict. _

_Flashback End_

The spirits were patient folk. They would have waited centuries for her to return to them. It was only a matter of time.

**-Spirits-**

Chihiro wasn't happy with her parents. They insisted on her making friends when all the other students in her class hated Chihiro's guts. It had something to do with the fact that Chihiro believed in the spirit world. That made her different, so people isolated her from activities. Chihiro wasn't even remotely bothered by the treatment she received. Chihiro wasn't fond of anyone at school anyway, so she sat alone, drawing pictures of the spirits she knew.

Branded as an outcast, Chihiro had her head in the clouds, daydreaming about Haku and all her other friends, like Lin and No-Face. Her parents pleaded with Chihiro to stop her obsession, but it was too late. Chihiro was hooked on the spirit realm. By then, Chihiro had realized that she was one of the Spirited- people who have been to the spirit world and returned to tell the tale. People like Dante (who wrote Inferno) and others were Spirited as well. However, Chihiro never knew the curse of the Spirited: they were doomed to an afterlife in the spirit world.

That day, Chihiro was prepared for a fun day of drawing, not a tragic death. Chihiro had became an artist because she felt the urge to draw spirits. Her art teacher was her only friend, as the arty kids were highly jealous of her skills. Chihiro was used to loneliness by then, so she embraced her uniqueness.

Chihiro may have been prepared for art class, but she sure wasn't prepared for death.

_Five Hours__ Later..._

It was time for art class. Today was free time, when you could draw whatever you wanted. Chihiro was excited at the possibilities available with this project. Grabbing several sheets of paper, she got straight to work. Chihiro attempted to draw Haku first. However, she messed up the drawing so badly that Chihiro grew upset and she destroyed the drawing.

Next, Chihiro tried to draw No-Face. This worked well, as she dreamed about No-Face often, and remembered him more clearly. She carefully drew his body first. It was an slightly difficult task, seeing as No-Face's body had many shades of colors. Eventually, Chihiro managed to successfully draw his shadowy form. {Time for the mask.} Chihiro thought, smirking slightly. The mask was her favorite part to draw. She drew the mask carefully, taking care to illustrate the expression on No-Face's mask. What was the expression? It was one of utter bliss. In the drawing, No-Face held a pink rose that he seemed to be sniffing. The smile on his mask depicted how much he liked the aroma.

{What else should I draw?} Chihiro thought, biting her lower lip and leaving behind small marks. Pausing for a second, she examined her classmates. Avery Sparks, the most popular girl and the meanest one as well, was texting in class, which was a big no-no. Her posse included Esmeralda, a musically inclined girl. Also, Merida, who was sporty, followed Avery's every command. It was sickening, but it didn't inspire Chihiro.

Chihiro took the time to eavesdrop on her classmate's conversations. "OMG, I can't believe that! What a creep." Avery said this in a high-pitched shrill voice. Her laughter wasn't much better.

Chihiro listened to other conversations, but they were boring or just plain weird! Disappointed, Chihiro was mopey for a minute, but inspiration struck! This sent Chihiro into a frenzy. She started to gather supplies. The next step was easy. She taped four sheets of blank white paper together. Finally, Chihiro began to draw.

By then, Avery was ready to tease Chihiro in a brutal manner, but outside forces prevented that. One, Chihiro looked insane while she drawer. Her eyes were wild and unfocused. Two, the art teacher was beside her, examining the drawing. Finally, the whole class was crowded around Chihiro, so it was suicidal to try and upset her at that moment in time. Faking interest, Avery and Co. got closer to the arty outcast. Avery's eyes widened as she gazed at Chihiro's drawing. {That's amazing} Avery thought, peering at the artwork shown to her.

Chihiro drew, ignoring everyone around her. She drew of her own accord, as her brain had stopped functioning. In a small corner of her mind, Chihiro was surprised. {Why am I drawing this?} She thought. Still, it was a pretty masterpiece. After some time, Chihiro finished the drawing. She had drawn, colored and erased, so it was perfect.

What was the drawing? Well, let me tell you. Chihiro had drawn the spirit world. Yes, the spirit world. First, you could see Chihiro in the drawing. She wore a orange dress of flames and she was holding a red rose. Next to her, No-Face had his arm wrapped around her and was beaming. It seemed the rose was from him.

Haku was there as well. He had a proud smirk on his face and had a shiny golden badge pinned to his clothes. He held the hand of a girl that Chihiro didn't know. The girl had white hair and frosty green eyes. Her dress was the same color of her hair. She smiled shyly from the drawing. Her name was written neatly above her head. Her name was Miyuki.

Chihiro spotted many unfamiliar people in her drawing. She also saw familiar spirits. Chihiro spotted a red-haired girl who looked her age in the artwork. The girl had blue eyes the color of the sea and she was laughing her heart out. The mysterious girl's name was Ponyo and she seemed familiar, but Chihiro didn't know her.

The drawing also had the Radish spirit (he disgusted all the girls), Yubaba (her ugliness enchanted the boys) and even Lin! There were other people as well that crowded the drawing, but it was evident that the main focus was Chihiro.

Before anyone could say anything, the bell rang. "School's out! Class adjourned. Chihiro, stay after class! Bye, pupils!" Miss Starch called out. (She was the art teacher.) Miss Starch beamed at Chihiro as she approached Miss Starch. "Excellent, darling!" Miss Starch praised. Chihiro smiled shyly, but looked nervous as she glanced toward the door. "You have a real future in art, you hear? Now, go home and do your homework. Let it be known that I believe in you! You can go now." Miss Starch beamed at Chihiro. Chihiro then ran out the room, panting heavily. She didn't forget her drawing though. {Five months and I'm still a coward...} Chihiro thought angrily.

She ran past her classmates. They tried to catch her, but she was too fast for them. Chihiro left everyone in the dust. It seemed like an eternity, but Chihiro finally got home. Her mother was cooking when Chihiro arrived at home. "Hi, dear. How was school?" Mother asked, using her fake sweet voice. "It was ok." Chihiro mumbled, blushing slightly. "Did you make any friends?" Mother sounded harsh then, glaring at her only child. "No." Chihiro answered, glaring back. "We went over this! You were supposed to make a friend! You are a failure!" Mother shouted. Chihiro wilted a little, showing her vulnerability. "Get out of my sight." Mother sounded deadly now and she looked ready to kill as she was brandishing a bloody knife. Chihiro ran to her room and locked the door.

"No one likes me except for the spirits. I wish I was dead!" Chihiro sobbed, tears spilling over her eyelids. After crying for a few minutes, she fell into an uneasy sleep. It was too bad she didn't see the wish spirit or genie outside her window. It was also a huge pity that Chihiro didn't believe in the adage "Be careful what you wish for." The spirit grinned and flew off, locating Avery. Avery was then controlled by the spirit, who urged her to steal some matches. After that was done, Avery then walked in jerky motions. Igniting the match, Avery was forced to smile as she set fire to the house against her will. The spirit reasoned that if the fire didn't kill Chihiro, the smoke would. Before leaving Avery, the spirit forced her to walk into the burning house and smash her head on the wall, knocking her out.

**-Spiri****ts- **

Chihiro awoke to find herself in a comfy recliner. She was sitting next to a girl with white hair and icy blue eyes. "Hi, I'm Yue! Who are you?" The girl introduced herself. "Er, I'm Chihiro." Chihiro extended her hand. Yue took it. The two girls started to discuss everything under the sun from politics to favorite colors. Soon, it was Yue's turn to be evaluated. Yue had figured out that the people here were being examined for some reason that Yue didn't know. "Bye, Yue!" It was ironic that Chihiro had made her first real friend besides No-Face when she had died. "Bye, Chihiro!" Yue gave her new friend a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck!" Yue called as she entered the white door in front of her. It closed with a decisive snap. {Thanks, Yue.} Chihiro thought.

Chihiro waited five minutes before someone cried "NEXT!" Anxious but excited, Chihiro opened the orange door in front of her and skipped through the dark doorway. It only occurred to her later that she had seen Yue before in one of her drawings. Chihiro had drawn Yue dancing with the moon. As Chihiro entered the doorway, she only thought that a new chapter of her life had been unlocked. There was no turning back. Her hairband glittered as she thought this. Who knew that she needed some protection?

AN: Well, that's all for today, folks. Next time, we'll have Kathleen, the death spirit (kudos to Alex from Goodreads for that name) talking to Chihiro and figuring out her life path. Also, we'll have some new and old spirits joining the cast like No-Face and Nival Vixen (a mud spirit). Ready to get started? Wait, you need to read the review from Alex!

At First Sight: Chihiro seems to be an average girl living in Japan, but that can't possibly be farther from the truth! Chihiro is actually one of the Spirited- people who have been to the spirit world and returned to tell the tale. She never knew the curse of the Spirited, however: they were doomed to an afterlife in the spirit world.

No-Face knows a lot about the Spirited. They are the only ones who can see him when he prefers not to be seen. Plus, Chihiro is one of them and she saved him from dematerializing (death for the spirits) in the bathhouse. He knows that she has to come back and he is prepared to pay any price to make that happen.

When Chihiro dies in a tragic fire made by a bullying arsonist, she is taken to the spirit world when a whole year has gone by while it's only been five months on her end. In a year, a lot of things have changed. Yubaba refuses to let her work at the bathhouse (her only home) unless she retrieves the Book of Shadows, a mysterious tome filled with dangerous spells. With friends by her side, will Chihiro succeed?

Second Glance: Considering the promises made above, will the first chapter live up to it's expectations? Yes. Yes, it does. While it's only a filler chapter, this chapter leaves questions that need to be answered urgently. It's the perfect starting chapter for this story and it proves to be interesting. Hmm... Oh, look! My cute OCs are flitting across the page, not! But, look! Nyx promised to bring my OCs next chapter. Four, to be exact! Hooray! Nyx also said that to expect some life examination to happen. That's a good way to go.

Bottom Line: It's a story to watch out for. DON is a promising writer, so look out for updates. However, Nyx is in Chicago and her connection is spotty as best. Updates may happen sparingly depending on the place.

3.5 out of 5 stars- Has promise. However, is only filler chapter and slightly boring. Needs more action and humor and romance, not exposition. Also, needs more descriptions and dialogue.

This review was created by Alex (Goodreads).

See ya guys later!


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